But where are the tulips?

It was hard to know where to begin. As we navigated the winding path through seemingly endless fields of tulips in an array of vibrant colors, we asked ourselves, "Where should we stop?" Searching for the best photo spot, we finally landed in the middle of a giant field of bright yellow tulips, with another to the left filled with deep red ones, the perfect contrast for our pictures. Systematically, we placed one kid after another in the middle of these glorious flowers and shouted, "Say, 'cheese,'" as we used our analog camera to capture the beauty of both the tulips and the children. 

This was an annual tradition for many parents who lived in the lovely Skagit Valley in northwest Washington. We were there 11 years, and I have albums of pictures of my children sitting in tulip fields to prove it. One day I'll cross off the item from my never-ending, mental to-do list that says, "Organize physical pictures and scan the ones you want to keep to digital files." One day. Meanwhile, maybe I can find you a generic picture. Yes! Here you go...

Last Friday, a few of us headed down to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point, near Lehi. I'm not sure what I expected, but memories of the Skagit Valley tulips clouded my reality. 

"But where are the tulips?"  

A bit of hyperbole for sure because, yes, there were tulips, imported ones. They lined the walkways and this waterfall, and they were definitely pretty, just not quite what comes to my mind when I hear the phrase "Tulip Festival." 

Still, it was such a fun day, with perfect weather and even more perfect company. Here are Shulamith with Kennedy and Theodore, followed by Amanda and Jane and me.

I'm forever spoiled by the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, and one day I'll return to see it again, but for now, I'm grateful for this smaller scale, but still lovely, option.